1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally relates to a bicycle operating device. More specifically, the present invention relates to a bicycle operating device having a release lever that can shift several gears in a single progressive movement of the release lever.
2. Background Information
Bicycling is becoming an increasingly more popular form of recreation as well as a means of transportation. Moreover, bicycling has become a very popular competitive sport for both amateurs and professionals. Whether the bicycle is used for recreation, transportation or competition, the bicycle industry is constantly improving the various components of the bicycle.
Bicycles, and particularly sport bicycles, are often provided with gear-changing devices. A gear-change operating device (an example of a bicycle operating device) having a lever, push-button, or other type of operating member is provided to the handlebar or other part of the bicycle frame in order to operate the gear-changing device. The gear-change operating device is linked to the gear-changing device via a normal Bowden-type gear-changing cable. When the operating member is operated, the gear-changing cable moves, and the gear-changing device performs a gear-changing operation.
A conventionally well-known gear-change operating device of this type is a gear-change operating device that is capable of multi-stage (gear) release, wherein changing through a plurality of gears can be accomplished at once in a single wire releasing direction using a single progressive operation of the operating member (see, e.g., Japanese Laid-Open Patent Application No. 2004-231176). A conventional gear-change operating device is mounted within the brake lever of a racing bicycle having drop handlebars. The gear-change operating device is provided with a rotating shaft that is mounted within the brake lever in a direction crossing the brake-operating direction; a cable-interlocking article (an example of a movable member) that is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft; a positioning body that is formed having positioning teeth on the outer circumference and that is formed integrally with the cable-interlocking article; a releasing wheel that has releasing teeth formed on the outer circumference; and a mechanism for positional retention and release (an example of a positioning mechanism) that positions the positioning teeth and has a positioning pawl, which moves in the releasing direction via the releasing teeth, and a rotation-preventing pawl, which restricts the rotational movement of the positioning body. The releasing wheel is adjacent to the positioning body and is rotatably mounted on the rotating shaft.
In this gear-change operating device, the releasing wheel is made to rotate according to the continued one-way operation of the releasing lever, which acts as the operating member, whereby the positioning mechanism, which includes the positioning pawl and the rotation-preventing pawl, can be made to operate continuously. Multi-stage release across a plurality of gears can therefore be performed in a single operation without returning the releasing lever to the operation-initiating position.
In view of the above, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that there exists a need for an improved bicycle operating device. This invention addresses this need in the art as well as other needs, which will become apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure.